Holly Thomas

Holly Thomas

@holstat.bsky.social

Here @ last! Morning Editor @ Katie Couric Media Opinion @ the Indy + The New World Massive CNN back catalog @ Muck Rack Graduate Diploma in Law @ City Lincoln's Inn scholar I write about pop culture, U.S. news, the internet, and Buffy, tbh.

268 followers123 following153 posts

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Insane that we're just over a week away from midterms and this isn't the lead story on every single U.S. news outlet. The zone is so flooded.

Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social

Beyond disgusted by even more rape allegations against the President of the United States. "In total, more than 25 different women...have independently accused Donald Trump of rape, sexual assault, or other sexual misconduct." Report w/ new details: democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

I like that she says it's not a superpower. I always feel so bummed out when people excitedly self-diagnose cos they're "always reading the room"/gifted somehow. Reckon the "superpower" branding made a lot of ppl confuse being high-functioning w/ neurodiversity. www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

independent.co.ukJamie Oliver’s wife Jools says not knowing she had ADHD ‘ruined’ life for 45 yearsJools Oliver has opened up about living with neurodivergence after sharing the news to friends and family last year
Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

See also: "AI will speed up your boring work tasks" You're not going to be clocking off at noon, you will be given more tasks!!

Daniel Knowles@dlknowles.bsky.social

I am just begging people writing about AI to think *one step ahead* and try to anticipate the actions of other humans. Three out of five of these AI agent "killer tasks" only work because *your* AI agent isn't yet up against *everyone else's AI agent*. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/25/t...

nytimes.comPut Your A.I. Agents to Work with These 5 Killer TasksWhen you start using Meta’s Muse and OpenAI’s dots for these tasks — like applying for jobs and booking hard-to-get restaurant tables — you may never go back.
Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

I spoke to a French protester who was at a demonstration when a police grenade blew a teenager's hand off. "People were screaming that someone was injured and needed an ambulance. A few people managed to drag him away... The police fired more explosives." www.thenewworld.co.uk/holly-thomas...

thenewworld.co.ukThe French police’s protest crackdown has crossed a lineA witness who saw a 17-year-old boy’s hand blown off by a grenade says a generation will grow up having learned not to trust the authorities
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Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

"I ended up helping a student with Down syndrome who’d been gassed. None of the police assisted her. They literally walked over elderly people who’d fallen. I saw them hit kids as young as 13 or 14 with batons."

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

"This has radicalised a group of young people who will no longer trust the police. They are tomorrow’s lawyers, judges, and doctors, and they’ve seen what authority does when you stand up to it."

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

I spoke to a French protester who was at a demonstration when a police grenade blew a teenager's hand off. "People were screaming that someone was injured and needed an ambulance. A few people managed to drag him away... The police fired more explosives." www.thenewworld.co.uk/holly-thomas...

thenewworld.co.ukThe French police’s protest crackdown has crossed a lineA witness who saw a 17-year-old boy’s hand blown off by a grenade says a generation will grow up having learned not to trust the authorities
Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

They told me: "I was bending over to give a pensioner some eye drops for the CS gas, and a policeman hit me in the back of the head with a baton. I obviously posed no danger; for all he knew, I could have been hurt myself. I fell, and someone grabbed my arm and dragged me away."

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

So mad that the Tele is betting on AI over actual human journalists when the AI bust looks set for about 5 minutes after its boom

Dare Obasanjo@carnage4life.bsky.social

And just like that, building AI data centers became financially toxic.

Holly Thomas reposted

Rafa Sales Ross
@rafiews.com

I’m not a political journalist, so was gladly surprised at the community I found here last night. To Americans anxious about the upcoming elections, a key thing we learned in Brazil that might help you: DO NOT engage with the far-right online. Don’t share rage bait. Amplify your people. Ignore them.

Holly Thomas reposted

Adam Schwarz
@adamjschwarz.bsky.social

The achievement of Serbian students overthrowing Aleksandar Vučić can't be overstated. In 2024, they began protesting. In 2025, they transformed a protest movement into civil dissidence. In 2026, they became a political party — and two months later, crushed a corrupt state-entrenched authoritarian.

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

The Thomas Marke story is so horrifying. I really hope it gives people pause before they judge anyone who's estranged from a parent. Every case is unique, and even though you may think you know the whole story, you almost certainly don't. Estrangement takes a toll. It doesn't happen for no reason.

Holly Thomas reposted

Laboo👻boo👻 Doll
@matchbox30.bsky.social

There is just so much to unpack here

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Q: Ashley Hinson, who you're campaigning for tonight, says the Ramaswamy ad is 'absolutely terrible' and should be taken down. Why are you defending it? TRUMP: I'm defending it because I know that if that ad was about my mother, you would love every inch of it

Holly Thomas reposted

e.w. niedermeyer
@niedermeyer.online

nobody stopped Musk before he broke the state monopoly on violence, so now either he goes or the nation-state does

Techmeme@techmeme.com

Ukraine says the abrupt throttling of US-funded Starshield grounded dozens of drones mid-flight, costing one unit $1M+, and halted some strikes for three days (New York Times) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

So many brilliant shows axed early/not getting picked up atm, and even the tragic deaths of *one quarter* of his cast won't stop Ryan Murphy

Pop Base@popbase.tv

🚨 A ‘GLEE’ revival has been officially ordered at Disney+ and Hulu. No cast members are currently announced to return.

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Different production companies/platforms ofc, but why are we getting more of Glee, which so decisively wore out its welcome, as opposed to say, a second season of the delightful Boots on Netflix? This keeps happening

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

The Uprising is an absolutely OK film! Andrew Garfield makes a very likeable medieval Andrew Garfield! Will say the point probably could've been made without the lines "they think they stole their jobs," and "No kings in the forest"

Holly Thomas reposted

an appliance is making a weird noise that isn't on youtube
@jesseltaylor.bsky.social

taking political advice from a guy who apparently thinks restaurants seat you outside during rainstorms unless you use AI

Mediaite@mediaite.com

Matthew McConaughey Issues Rousing Call for Political Independence: ‘The System Has Never Been More Lopsided’

dlvr.itMatthew McConaughey Issues Rousing Call for Political Independence: ‘The System Has Never Been More Lopsided’Matthew McConaughey called on his fellow Americans to embrace Independent candidates heading into the 2026 midterms in a video posted to X on Sunday The post Matthew McConaughey Issues Rousing Call for Political Independence: ‘The System Has Never Been More Lopsided’ first appeared on Mediaite.
Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Buffy's 22-episode seasons spaced close together allowed for pretty much unparalleled evolution for side characters (Jonathan, Warren, Chantarelle/Lily, Harmony, Larry), meaning they had a much richer impact on the story arc/main cast. (I swear I occasionally think about things other than Buffy)

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Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Take Johnathan. Initially, he's an NPC, never taken seriously. Ofc he has a breakdown after being ignored so long! Ofc his rooftop chat with Buffy doesn't solve it! Ofc (like Willow) he turns to magic for an easy fix, and aligns himself with an "alpha" figure (Warren) for want of an solid identity

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

This made for such a satisfying audience experience. Continuity was soooo rubbish in TV 25 years ago, but Buffy paid attention to detail, which accounted for so much of its appeal to obsessive, hyper-vigilant geeks (hi)

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

I watched The Social Reckoning last night, and, sincerely, what planet is Aaron Sorkin on? Right off the bat, we have Jeff Horowitz (Jeremy Allen White) in a convo with his boss about the "last days" of print media, which we are led to understand are now, in... 2019

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Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

We conclude with the usual on-screen text summarising the fallout, which is both underwhelming and incredibly outdated. We learn Horowitz won a Pulitzer and Haugen's testimony "caused some pain." Aka (I think?) the lawsuits Meta settled in August for around 1% of its valuation.

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

We don't dwell on the fact that Zuckerberg is now closer to the seat of power in the US than he's ever been, that Trump won in 2024, that Zuck was at his inauguration, that Trump appointed Zuck to his Council of Advisors on Science and Tech in March... Nope, print journalism solved everything!

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

I watched The Social Reckoning last night, and, sincerely, what planet is Aaron Sorkin on? Right off the bat, we have Jeff Horowitz (Jeremy Allen White) in a convo with his boss about the "last days" of print media, which we are led to understand are now, in... 2019

View full thread
Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Also, at one point, Horowitz has a go at his source because, he says, tech people are doing the job of journalists "so badly." Not really? They're different jobs? Also, we now know SO MUCH about how toxic FB's corporate culture was, but there's no mention in the film of, say, Sheryl Sandberg

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

.... which is surely for legal reasons, but there isn't even an obvious on-screen dupe, as you'd usually see in this situation. The film concludes with the source (Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison) testifying to Congress. Afterward, she *PUNCHES THE AIR*

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

I watched The Social Reckoning last night, and, sincerely, what planet is Aaron Sorkin on? Right off the bat, we have Jeff Horowitz (Jeremy Allen White) in a convo with his boss about the "last days" of print media, which we are led to understand are now, in... 2019

View full thread
Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Facebook's misdeeds come to light — except not all of them, & in a very muted way Eg we learn that 32% of teens with body image issues see those issues worsen on Instagram We don't hear about Molly Russell, a 14yo who killed herself after liking & saving distressing Instagram content in... 2017

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

We hear a lot about people being driven to "extremist groups" on Facebook, but not much about what those groups are specifically promoting, or what the fallout may be We eventually see footage of the Capitol riot that's spliced in with a rousing soundtrack, but no mention of *Trump's actual name*

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

I watched The Social Reckoning last night, and, sincerely, what planet is Aaron Sorkin on? Right off the bat, we have Jeff Horowitz (Jeremy Allen White) in a convo with his boss about the "last days" of print media, which we are led to understand are now, in... 2019

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

His boss is like, "say goodbye" (or something), and Horowitz mutters: "I won't." Guess that's solved, then! Then, we have Horowitz, a soon-to-be-Pulitzer winning journalist, whose beat is Facebook, not understanding what Proton Mail is... or, apparently, how to Google it.

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Increasingly feels like blaming the gun for the shooting

Soraya Nadia McDonald@soraya.press

The machine did not "go rogue." The machine belongs to and is the responsibility of the people who own it. Hold those people accountable for their goddamn machine.

Holly Thomas
@holstat.bsky.social

Every time someone posts a screen grab of disjointed AI slop like this, at least one person replies "[caveat] but it is good/funny/smart." Makes me paranoid that AI will gradually reshape what we consider good writing via a process of attrition, like an inverse Shakespeare.

Marie Le Conte@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com

I was trying to remember the name of the author of a novel I read earlier this year - named An Underachiever's Diary - and instead Google wrote me an AI short story about an underachiever???? what??? why??? aahhhhh!!